Down By The Riverside
by HarukaEndou
Summary: Midorima knows something bad is going on with his friend but he isn't sure how to handle the situation he finds himself in. Takao, on the other hand, is keeping his distance, too afraid to let Midorima know what is going on. How will Midorima manage to break through Takao's shell and pull him out of this living hell?
1. Chapter one: Broken

Oh, well, sorry for posting this so late, but I started school and... it is kind of hard to find free time until all of my tests pass. I am happy that you liked the previous story and I hope you will enjoy this one as well.

Here comes the first chapter!

Chapter one: Broken

Takao crossed his arms in front of his chest and tried not to flinch. He leaned against the wall behind him and sighed with relieve. His leg was too sore from supporting his weight the whole day and his arm was still aching in the shoulder. Takao refused to think about the bruise there. Curently, he was too busy observing the scene in front of his eyes.

Takao was getting annoyed. And he was not the kind of person who would be irritated easily. Usually, he would brush everything off with a smile and wouldn't dwell on anything. After all, thinking was something he tried to do only in a game. It was a waste of energy and time to do it outside the court. Besides, he would quickly realize that the world was not a nice place once he opened his eyes to the reality.

There was darkness luring in every corner, waiting to consume him.

However, that day was a special one.

It was happening for the third time that month, he thought as he watched how Midorima listened carefully to whatever that ugly in Takao's opinion girl had to say. Not that he needed to switch to the genius mode in order to figure out what was going on. She was confessing her undying love when she didn't even know Midorima at all.

She didn't know why the green haired boy bandaged his fingers. Or why he carried around a different item every day. Or how long it took the Shutoku's shooting guard in the morning to listen to his precious Oha-Asa.

The girl bowed her head and Takao knew that now Midorima was going to decline as politely as possible, saying that he wanted to focus on his basketball career. It was not like Midorima cared much about girls anyway.

Takao flinched when he realized that this time Midorima was taking longer than usual to finish this off. For a moment his friend shifted his gaze and their eyes met for a fraction of the second. Something went between them. Something that sent shivers down Takao's spine. Unpleasurable shivers.

Then Midorima turned his attention back to the girl and said something. Whatever the green haired boy muttered, it made the girl look up with sparkling eyes. Takao's stomach sunk at the sight. Something inside of him snapped and he found himself trying to hold back a sharp intake of breath.

Midorima and the girl exchanged a few more words and in a few seconds the shooting guard was right next to Takao.

"Let's go, we are going to be late for practice," the shorter boy said quietly, his usual cheerfulness was gone. He didn't say anything about the girl; he didn't even look Midorima in the eye. Instead, Takao opted for walking a few steps in front of his friend without looking back.

Midorima on the other hand, was watching his team mate's back, trying to figure out what had caused the sudden mood change. Not that Takao was acting normal recently. The boy was more quiet than usual; he wasn't even talking to Midorima. During practice, Takao would do his share of training, and then play some one on one with either the green haired boy or someone else until he was so exhausted that it was hard to move. After that, he would walk home without bothering to ask Midorima to accompany him.

**_What is going on, Takao?_**

He wanted to ask but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat. All he could do was watch his friend's back until Takao was so far away, he couldn't even reach out to grab him.

* * *

"Oi, Takao!" The coach shouted as the dark haired boy slipped and fell down face first. The impact was so strong it took out all of the oxygen in Takao's lungs. The boy rolled to the side, holding his throbbing elbow." Are you okay?"

The point guard closed his eyes, fighting off the blurry vision. Seriously... he was not going to black out from this. What was he? A pussy?

Takao groaned again, feeling his whole arm start to ache but nodded nonetheless. He shifted to a seating position and plastered a fake smile on his face. Scratching awkwardly the back of his head, the boy turned to his trainer.

"Yeah, yeah, I am fine!" he hoped his voice wasn't giving away just how hard it was to keep a sob from breaking out. God, why was he such a mess recently? Sure, his life hadn't been perfect in the last few weeks, but getting this upset was really unlike him. "I just tripped. Everything's fine!"

No, nothing was fine.

Miyaji wiped off the sweat from his forehead and passed the ball to Otsubo. Then he reached out to offer help to Takao, who smiled widely and accepted it. The small forward frowned when he felt just how weak the grip Takao had on his hand was. Not to mention that when he tried to pull the point guard up on his feet, it seemed as if Takao had lost weight. Alarming bells rang through his mind.

"You sure you are fine?" the blond asked as he steadied his team mate all the while he was observing Takao his knees really shaking or his imagination was playing tricks on him? "You look a little pale?"

Midorima noticed that Miyaji was right. Takao's complexion was far from the healthy one the boy usually had. Actually, the green haired boy felt a little bit uneasy. He was supposed to notice such things, right? Takao was his team mate. The person who was his partner on court. And yet he hadn't noticed how pale the boy looked.

The point guard let go of his blond friend and stepped carefully back. He lifted his hands in defence.

"I am fine!" He sang, happy that his voice didn't waver. "Stop worrying about me." Oh, how he hoped that everyone were convinced because he was sure his facade wouldn't last long if he kept on faking those smiles that hurt.

"Let's call it a day, boys!" the coach instructed, narrowing at the sight of Takao losing balance for a moment. "Takao, you stay behind."

All of the players hurried to gather their stuffs and leave as soon of possible. Miyaji turned to Otsubo, asking him something about his plans for the weekend that was coming. A few of the second string members went to collect the balls and the rest of them headed for the changing rooms. Only Takao and Midorima stayed behind. The two of them shared a look but the point guard was the first to break the contact. He felt as if Midorima was staring into his very soul. And the feeling was something he didn't take liking into.

"I guess we won't be going home together, Shin-chan..." said the dark haired boy but his voice wavered a little. Thanks goodness Midorima was too much of an idiot to notice.

The green haired boy nodded.

**_No, don't go, Shin-chan…_**

"Then I will see you tomorrow," and with that he left not even realizing that Takao was staring at his back with sad eyes. Lately, their communication had shrunk down to just the necessary words. Takao knew the exact moment his friend had started acting weirder than usual. Ever since he came back from America. He wondered what had happened back there. He brushed that matter to the side. He had other things on his mind he was barely handling.

With a sigh, the point guard turned to his coach and plastered a happy smile on his face. He had to keep up this performance for another few minutes. However, his expression froze when he saw the look on coach Masaki's face.

"Takao, do you mind telling me what is going on with you lately? And don't think of lying to me."

**_Oh, crap._**

* * *

Midorima checked his phone and suppressed the urge to just shut it and throw it aside. He was not in the mood to deal with her right now. He did not want to go out with that girl at all but he had to do it in order to prove that Aomine's words were just stupid babbling. Going out and sleeping with a boy was the most disgusting thing on Midorima's mind. Although both Kise and Aomine had made sure to let him know that it was the best thing in the whole world. Not that Midorim had wanted to know this. God, he wished he could erase all of the things Aomine had told him. How could that dark skinned idiot even think that there was something going on between Midorima and Takao? His team mate was clearly a boy and neither Midorima nor Takao swung that way.

For fuck's sake, they had been barely speaking to each other in the last few months. And the situation had worsened lately. Takao was clearly avoiding his best friend for some reason.

His phone pulled him out of his thoughts. It was as another e-mail from Kana, the girl who had confessed to him earlier.

_Okay, so that means we will meet this Sunday? Oh my god, I am so happy, Shintarou-kun! I can't wait._

Midorima frowned and quickly typed his response.

_Stop calling me Shintarou. It's Midorima._

It was irritating him when someone called him by his given name. Only his family members, Takao and Akashi were allowed to do so.

The green haired boy pushed aside his books. He was long done with his homework which left him with nothing to do with his evening. Midorima fell on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was 7:36 p.m. and he was already bored as hell. He wasn't sleepy at all and he wasn't in the mood for playing computer games. Maybe going out for a walk was a good idea? The boy turned his head to the side and his eyes fell on an object he hadn't touched ever since the finals in his last year in Middle school. It was a basketball that all of them, the generation of miracles had signed personally. Even Kuroko had added his signature despite leaving the club and disappearing on them.

Then his attention was caught by a photograph of his new team that was placed on his desk, where Takao had put it after framing it.

"You are a part of that team, Shin-chan, thus you must have our photo in your room!" That was ridiculous. He didn't need a reminder that he was a part of Shutoku's team. Takao was annoying enough not to let him forget this.

Midorima bolted up and took his phone, dialling his friend's number.

**_This number is not available in the moment. _**

* * *

Takao cursed under his breath and hurried up the stairs, trying to switch on his phone frantically. However, his efforts were useless. The battery was dead. His whole body was trembling because of the pain and tiredness.

"Shit, I am in trouble," he muttered and stopped in front of one of the two doors on the third floor. He listened carefully, but there was no sound coming from his apartment. It was quiet. Too quiet to mean anything good.

The boy sighed and braced himself for what was about to come.

He cracked the door open and tried to get inside as quietly as possible, not making the barest noise.

"Where have you been, Kazunari?" Takao froze and his bag fell to the ground, his trembling hands too weak to keep it in the air. He gulped and back a few inches. But he knew that there was no escape, as he watched the number of bottles placed on the table. All of them were empty and by the look on his father's face, he was the one who drank most of them.

The point guard tried to take back the control over his body, but the fear was too strong, too much for him to handle in his current state. He was a mental wreck.

"The coach wanted to have a word with me after practice, regarding the coming tournament," he tried to keep his voice even but the way it wavered was too evident.

The old man with silver hair narrowed his bloodshot eyes, not believing a word that was said.

"You are lying, you little slut," he spat and rose from his chair. Takao tried to take a few steps back, but he realized had already hit the wall. "You are the same as you mother!"

The first punch took Takao's breath away. The second one send him unconscious from the pain that ripped through his now fractured arm and his skull that hit the wall. Warm blood dripped down the floor.


	2. Chapter two: I won't leave

New chapter, people! Sorry for updating so late, but school is a lot more demanding that I had expected. Thankfully, I have a few more days until everything settles down and then I will have more free time. It's not a long chapter, but I hope you like it. Read and enjoy!

Midorima looked around, feeling his annoyance grow. No matter how much he narrowed his eyes and frowned, he still couldn't spot the one person he was looking for. Which made him even more agitated. It was unlike Takao to disappear for so long without telling anyone what he was up for.

The shooting guard had tried calling him a few times, but the other's phone was switched off, cutting all conections to him. Before coming to school, he had even thought about personally going to Takao's house, but then he remembered that he had no idea where his friend lived.

He had hoped that this idiot would show up at school. Wrong he was. No one knew anything. Midorim gripped the basketball in his hands, trying to control his anger. What was Takao thinking? There was a grad competition coming in a few weeks and that bastard was skipping practice. Again. For the second time that week. Wasn't it Takao the one who had sworn that Shutoku was going to win the Winter Cup? Midorima's hand was holding the ball so firmly that his knuckles had went white. How were they suppoused to win when in the current state Shutoku was there were almost none chances of winning against Rakuzan. Not to mention Kaijo, which now had a stronger Kise on their side. Or Touou, which was using all of their time to utilize the power of their ace. Or maybe even Seirin?

**Damn you, Takao...**

Midorima threw the ball he was holding to the basket but he barely managed to get in throgh the hoop. Something was messing with his accuaricy that day. His fingers were shaking, his mind was distracted... Maybe the horoscope was right again. It was going to be one of the worst days for the year.

"Oi, Midorima, what is going on?" Miyaji teased him and draped an arm around the green haired's shoulder. The grin on his face annoyed Midorima. "Why is your aim so off today?"

The shooting guard pushed him away and took another ball, staying silent for a few seconds.

"Today's a bad day for Cancers like me," he explained simply and shot the ball again. This time it bounced off the ring and didn't even go in.

Miyaji narrowed his eyes. He had never seen Midorima miss a shot. Not even when he was dead tired.

"You are worried," he assumed and crossed his arms, watching how his team mate frowned. "About Takao," Miyaji finished.

Midorima shook his head a no even though he knew the other boy was right. For some reason, he was concerned. According to his precious Oha-Asa, people like Takao, Scorpios, were about to expirience something really bad. And horoscopes were always right.

"When is the coach coming back?" he asked, remembering that their coach had gone to the princaple's office to get some information on Takao's wareabouts.

Miyaji was about to answer when he heard the door to the gym being opened and a whisle was blown immediately, signaling the end of the practice.

Midorima froze, when he was the expression on coach Maasaki's face.

"Everyone, gather your things," he instructed in a flat tone. "We are going to the hospital. Takao has been hospitalized."

The shooting guard droped the ball to the ground, his blood turned into ice.

_**That is not possible.**_

* * *

No one told them what exactly was going on. The coach was called to the doctor's office but the team was left outside Takao's room to wait. The door closed but the windows allowed him to see his friend lying on the bed with his eyes closed. He shivered at the sight of Takao's too pale skin and the white bandage around his friend's forehead. The cloth was marred by a few red stains that were obviously blood. His left hand was casted and now it rested beside the sleeping boy's frame. _**  
**_

Takao...

What had hapened to the boy? Midorima took a step forward, leaving his team mates behind to stare. He placed his shaking hand on the door knob and opened the door. The scent in the room was the suffocating one that reminded him of hospitals. He hated it. He hated the white colors that were too... simply too white for his liking. And they didn't suit Takao at all.

Midorima pulled a chair to the hospital bed and sat down slowly. He noticed the familiar phone on the side of the bed and took it. It was Takao's and it's battery was obviously dead. Frowning, he put it in his poket.

"Shin-chan?" a dazed voice mumbled and Midorima looked at his friend to see Takao trying to focus his eyes on the shooting guard. "Why are you here?" Midorima certainly didn't like the way Takao's voice sounded. It was too weak and tired.

He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.

"Came to see you, idiot," he answered flatly. "Rest," he ordered.

Takao closed his eyes and a smile curved his lips.

"I must be dreaming..." he whispered before falling back asleep with his head turned to Midorima.

Midorima took the medical record that was left on the table beside the bed and opened it with shaky fingers. His green eyes narrowed at the words as he assimilated them, using the knowledge he had gained from his father, who was a doctor. From what he could translate in normal language, Takao had a fracture on the head that had led to a considerable blood loss. His arm was broken in two places, but thankfully, it was something that would heal in a couple of weeks. His friend was also suffering from malnutrition. Midorima stopped here and tried to think of the last time he had seen Takao eat at school. Wasn't that before he left for the USA? Midorima frowned. He wanted to ask what had happened. He wanted to know why Takao was lying in a hospital bed but he knew the other boy was probably under the effect of some medicine, so he opted for leaving this for later.

Placing the folder aside, Midorima leaned back in his chair and just stared at his friend. There was something in his chest that was aching. But he chose to ignore it.

* * *

"I tried to contact his mother, but she doesn't pick up her phone." the coach said and rubbed his chin. "Hmmm..." he closed his eyes for a second and tried to concentrate. "Takao-kun doesn't have any other relatives besides his parents, but both are out of reach for the moment."

Midorima looked at his teammate, who was still sleeping soundly in his hospital bed. He was no fool, so it was easy for him to conclude that Takao's family were the one to be blamed for his current condition. Letting him go back to them was out of question.

"How long are they going to keep him here?" asked the green haired boy, trying to sound calm. There was no way he was going to let his anger control his actions right now.

"The doctor in charge said that they would release Takao-kun tomorrow," the coach looked at his phone and tried calling Takao's mother again, but failed. He sighed.

Midorima was about to say something when a woman in her early thirties interrupted them and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me," she said and smiled with a professional smile. " I am Megumi Hitomi, I work for the child services."

The green haired boy froze and felt how his heart stopped beating for a second.

"We received a signal about child abuse, " she looked at the papers in her hand and frowned. "Takao Kazunari , 16 years old."

The coach scratched his chin and hesitated for a moment. But he stretched out his hand.

"I am Masaaki Nakatani, Takao-kun's coach." He introduced himself and Midorima watched as the two adults shook hands. For some unknown reason, he did not like this woman at all.

And it had nothing to do with her ugly yellow blouse or her too short skirt.

"And you must be?" she asked, looking at Midorima, who had put on his stoic face.

"Midorima Shintarou, Takao's best friend," he said calmly although he wasn't sure if he could be called best friend after not being able to realize that something had been terribly wrong with Takao.

The woman nodded but didn't offer her hand, noticing the reluctance in the teen's eyes.

"Is there a family member that I could talk to?" she asked and looked around. However, the three of them were the only people around since the Shutoku's team had left a few hours ago.

"No, we have failed contacting his family," said the coach.

The woman looked over at Takao's bed.

"Who found him?" she asked and looked at Midorima, but he shook his head.

"A neighbor heard an argument and went to his flat to check what was going on, but he found the door open and Takao unconscious," Explained Masaaki, rubbing the back of his head tiredly. He hadn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours and now the lack of sleep was taking it's toll on him.

Hitomi nodded and wrote something down on the papers that were obviously about Takao.

Midorima felt slight fear creeping up his spine.

"What is going to happen to him?" he asked with slightly wavering voice.

The woman looked up at him and her brown eyes told him all he was afraid of.

"We are going to put him into a foster family until we can find his parents and then we will decide what to do with Takao."

* * *

Takao was feeling too tired to try opening his eyes. His head was throbbing like crazy. His arm weighted more than it usually did and moving wasn't an option. Not to mention that his mind was in haze. What was that smell? It reminded him of a hospital and it made his insides turn inside out. But he had not business in a hospital, right? Come to think of it, he couldn't really recall what had happened after getting back home. All he could remember was opening the door of his apartment with shaky fingers. Then it was all darkness.

"You have got to be kidding me," he heard Midorima's voice in the distance and this made him stop his thoughts for a moment.

"Midorima, keep your voice down!" scolded him the Shutoku's coach and Takao was even more confused. It was unlike his friend to lose his temper like this.

What happened next caught him even more off guard.

"I won't be quiet!" protested Midorima even more loudly. "You expect me to stay silent when they want to take Takao away?"

Takao's heart skipped a beat and he felt uneasiness wash over him. What was Midorima talking about?

"You have to understand that it is not up to me," said coldly unfamiliar voice of a woman. "We can not leave Takao-san here given the fact that we can't get in touch with his family. He is still underage."

Takao felt all coming back to him in one wave. His father waiting for him to get home, attacking him and pushing him against the wall. He remembered the sound of a bone being broken and then the pain of his head colliding with the wall. And then the blackness... If he was really in a hospital, then that meant his father had abandoned him. Strangely enough, Takao felt relieved finding that out. Maybe that man wasn't going to come back ever.

This meant his personal hell on earth was over.

Until he realized something else.

They were going to take him away from Shutoku. From all o his friends. From Midorima.

He clenched the fingers of his hand into fists and ignored the pain shooting up his broken arm.

"No..." he managed to choke out loud enough for the people outside the room to hear the sound.

Midorima immediately rushed inside and his beautiful green eyes widened in surprise.

Takao lifted his eyelids enough to focus his gaze on the three people.

"I won't leave Shin-chan..." he muttered just before loosing consciousness again. The effects of the medicine still hadn't worn out.

* * *

Next update: on Tuesday!


	3. Chapter three

It took Takao some time until he was no longer under the effect of the medicine the doctors had given him. How long had it been since Midorima left the room for the last time? Was he really sitting in the same chair for more than twenty-four hours doing nothing else but staring at his friend's face. Now that it was clear Takao was going to be alright, his worries started to fade away, but fear settled in. Even after having a long argument with that Megumi woman, it was still not certain if Takao was going to stay with him, or the black haired boy was about to be taken away.

The thought of his best friend being sent to the other end of Japan made Midorima feel so sick that he was about to throw up.

It wasn't until thirty-one hours after Midorima arriving to the hospital that Takao finally started to come to his senses.

"Shin-chan?" he mumbled and his voice sounded tired, almost as if he wasn't able to gather enough coherence to speak clearly.

Midorima inched closer and petted his hand in an awkward manner, not sure if it was alright to touch him.

"I'm here," he said lowly and bent down to hear his friend better. "Do you need anything? How are you feeling? Do you hurt somewhere? I could get the nurse to give you more painkillers..."

Even though Takao felt like crap, he managed to chuckle a little. For the first time in a long while he was able to smile genuinely. But he winced when his head started throbbing.

"Ah, I feel...fine," he said weakly and did his best to focus his eyes on Midorima's face. "I'm not dreaming, right?" Takao's eyes became sad.

Suddenly, there was fear creeping up his spine. Maybe he was dreaming of being away from home. Maybe he was about to wake up and realize that all of this, all of the warmth that surrounded him was a stupid illusion.

Midorima moved his stiff fingers to his friend's hair and stroked the dark locks slowly.

"No, you aren't dreaming," he reassured him and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know you must feel confused, but you are in a hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Takao fought back the urge to advert his gaze. Instead, he just blinked a few times, trying to buy some time. Then he bit his lower lip and forced the words to come out of his mouth.

"N-no... what happened?" It was a lie, but he was not going to tell Midorima that he knew pretty well why he was in his current condition.

The green haired boy just shook his head and carefully rearranged the pillows so that Takao was more comfortable.

"Rest now, we are going to talk when you are discharged."

The black haired boy smiled softly and let his lids slide down. Then it hit him. It was a faint memory but it was clear enough for him to remember how he had heard voices and then a woman had said something about him leaving, being taken to a foster family... away from his friends. And Shin-chan.

Panic started taking control of his breathing and it got heavy, almost panting.

"Shin-chan," he said and pushed up to a sitting position, ignoring the ache in his arm and the pain in his head. "That woman, the one who wanted to..."

He didn't finish, choking on a desperate sob and Midorima was there, holding him close, hugging him like he was a lost and a scared child. Takao clenched the front of Midorima's shirt with his left hand, trying hard not to drown in his own feelings.

He was going to be taken away...

**He** was going to be taken **away**.

"Shhh," mumbled the green haired boy and eased Takao back onto the pillows, stroking his bandaged head gently, trying to relax his friend. "It's okay, I won't let her do it, calm down."

He wasn't exactly sure where this gentleness came from, but seeing how his slow caresses worked on Takao made him forget about it.

Blue eyes looked up, sparkling with pure fear.

"Do you promise?" he asked in a quivering tone.

Midorima nodded and sat back down, never letting go of the pale hand of his friend's.

"I promise."

* * *

"Shintarou, dear..." his mother held her hand up to her gaping mouth and Midorima's eyes darkened. "Is he...Is Takao-kun okay?"

The green haired prodigy nodded slowly and rubbed his stinging eyes. He was tired and needed desperately a few hours of sleep, but right now wasn't the moment.

"Takao is going to be fine," he stated and let his head fall back. "But there is another problem I would like to discuss with you."

His mother sat down on the other side of the kitchen table and waited until her son started the conversation. She already had a feeling about what Midorima was going to ask for, but she knew her son needed to say it out loud.

It took him a great deal of courage to speak.

"I want Takao to come live with us," he finally said and his green eyes look at his mother, radiating hope. "He is going to be taken to a foster family outside the city if we don't take him in."

Midorima Reina nodded, showing that she understood the situation. It wasn't hard for her to make a decision. She had always liked Takao since whenever the boy was around her son, Shintarou would seem happier and even maybe a little bit more social. Something no one else had achieved in a long time.

"I will talk to your father about this and we will discuss it," she said slowly, making sure that every word sunk down her son's mind. "But I think that he will agree."

Midorima looked up, his eyes full of surprise and maybe even relieve. He blinked a few times and even replayed the last couple of seconds in his mind, convincing himself that it was real.

"However," his mother held her hand up. Her face was serious. "I hope you do realize that Taka-kun would be in a delicate condition," she said slowly. "This means you will have to take care of him and make sure that he gets over every painful memory of his."

Midorima nodded again, more than happy that he wasn't going to lose his best friend.

* * *

"I hope you do understand that Takao-san needs special care," said seriously Megumi, looking directly at Midorima. She had seen enough of this kind of case to know that the best way to erase the painful memories is to put the child in an environment in which he would feel loved and calm. She had a feeling that this Midorima guy was going to be important part of Takao's recovery.

The green haired boy nodded and watched as his parents signed the papers that were going to make them officially Takao's foster family. It was funny how fast all of the arrangements were made. Not that he wanted to prolong them, god no. Midorima pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before leaving his parents and Megumi in the corridor. He entered Takao's hospital room quietly, looking at the sleeping form of his friend. He was worried.

Lately, all Takao was doing was sleep and stare out of the window as if the endless blue sky was the most fascinating thing in the world. His previous happy smile and carefree attitude were gone. And it pained Midorima to look at him and see this.

"Shin-chan?" asked a sleepy voice and Takao rubbed his eyes, trying to focus them on Midorima even though the light was too dim. "Are you still here? You should go home and get some rest."

Midorima shrugged and closed the door behind him. He switched teh lights on and walked towards his friend.

"Don't worry about me, idiot," he muttered and sat down in his chair. "Mom and dad are talking to the social worker. They already signed the papers."

Takao's eyes seemed to light up a little at this information. He smiled weakly and closed his eyes again. He wasn't that tired but he could barely handle looking at his friend right now. And sleep seemed to be the only thing that could get him the privacy he needed.

"I am grateful."

And indeed he was. Though he was scared as hell.

* * *

**Sorry it took me so long to update, but school was hell this week. ;( I hope the next few days would be better thought because I barely find time even to breathe. So, I hope you liked this chapter! The next is coming up in a few days! (since it is almost finished anyway :) )**


	4. Chapter four

Chapter four:

Kise tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as he observed the scene in front of him. The blond model was leaning against the bedroom wall, watching as his former team mate was tiding up, fixing the mess and arranging everything in a perfect order. Golden eyes sparkled with amusement.

"So… Midorimacchi…" he started and tapped his chin with a long slender finger, faking a thinking process. "How is Takao-san doing?" His smug tone betrayed him and suddenly, the façade of being innocent dropped.

Midorima cased all of his actions and looked up; his green eyes bore a hole in Kise's soul. The shooting guard wasn't exactly sure what his former team mate was doing in his house at a time he was supposed to be at school, but he had long given up on trying understanding how Kise thought or why he acted in a certain way. The blond boy was a mystery. And even more so after he had gotten together with Aomine.

"He is fine," the green haired growled and threw a pillow on the bed with a little bit more force than needed. "What are you doing here anyway, idiot?"

Kise faked a hurt expression and put his right hand above his heart. Seriously, he was being too dramatic.

"I feel offended, Midorimacchi," the blond whined and smirked. "I just came to see how you are doing. After hearing that Takao-kun is in a hospital, I thought you might need a friend to talk to…"

Midorima tried his best not to lose his temper. Strangling Kise was going to do him no good. Besides, he didn't want to have to deal with Aomine coming after him.

"It's none of your business, Kise," he warned and put a few books away. "Does Aomine know that you are skipping school in order to come see me? Just before the Winter Cup?"

That seemed to do the trick since Kise lost a part of his confidence and frowned a little. It was strange how Aomine was insisting that Kise attended every practice and every damned class since he himself was a slacker.

Kise waved a hand.

"Don't worry about Daiki," he said and entered the room completely, ignoring the daggers Midorima's eyes were shooting. "I am really worried, you know?"

Suddenly, all of the playfulness in the room faded away and Kise was more than dead serious now. His golden eyes were staring at Midorima in a way that made the shooting guard uncomfortable.

"I have a friend at the hospital that Takao-san is in," he said simply as he pulled a chair and sat down. "So I managed to convince him to tell me what had happened to him."

Midorima swallowed and clenched his fists against the urge to hit the blond.

"This is private information, Kise," he reminded him and settled on the edge of the bed, knowing that there was no other way of getting rid of the model besides having a conversation with him.

Kise nodded. His expression was too sober, too serious and somehow that made him look mature in a way Midorima had never seen him be.

"I know that," the model said quietly and locked his eyes with Midorima's. "Is he going to be taken to a foster family?"

The green haired boy shook his head slowly without even realizing the action. He sighed. There was no use trying to hide anything right now.

"No, I discussed the matter with my family and we decided to take him in," he admitted and watched as Kise's expression became even more foreign. Why had his eyes darkened so much?

The model fell silent for a moment.

"Are you sure you will be able to take good care of him, Midorimacchi?" the question was spoken out in a low tone that made the green haired boy flinch. What was Kise implying?

"Don't be stupid," he growled and ran a hand through his hair. "As much as I hate to admit it, Takao is my best friend, idiot," it felt strange saying that out loud, but it was true. "Of course I will take good care of him."

Kise didn't reply. Instead he continued to stare at his friend. The model wondered if Midorima actually realized the situation he was in.

"Fine, I will believe you," he said finally and stood up. For a moment he flinched and his hand rubbed gently at his still sore knee.

Midorima noticed the movement and for a second he might have felt worried.

"How is you leg doing?" he asked, putting aside his pride for a second.

Kise laughed a little, but his eyes were almost sad. His fingers caressed the injured knee softly, as if any pressure on the leg hurt him.

"It is getting better little by little," he blond muttered and zipped up his jacket. "Don't worry about me, Midorimacchi," he was back to his usual cheerful self. "Now you need to take care of your friend," Kise headed for the door and waved a hand in a goodbye. "I will come visit you again," he promised and made his way out, trying his best not to limp.

Too bad Midorima saw right through his act. Kise wasn't getting better. His injury had gotten worse than before.

* * *

"Takao," Midorima called again, but his friend seemed to be in a state in which he did not hear or register anything. He just kept on staring at the window, too lost in his own thoughts. The green haired boy sighed and put the bag on the chair before getting closer to the bed. "Takao, look at me,"

He was ignored again until his hand reached up and brushed a few strands of hair out of the way. Only then Takao seemed to realize that Midorima was in the room.

The black haired boy blinked a few times and slowly turned his head towards Midorima, still trying to fully assimilate the situation he was in.

"Are you okay?" the shooting guard asked and sat down on the bed. "You seem a little out of it."

Takao forced his lips to curl up and he nodded slowly. He didn't want Midorima to know what was going on in his head right now.

"Yeah…" he whispered and sat up, pushing the blankets down. "I was just lost in my thoughts I guess…"

Midorima knew this was a lie, but decided not to ask anything else. Something was telling him that Takao needed some time before he was going to be ready to talk to him or anyone else for that matter.

"The doctor said that they are going to discharge you today," the green haired boy informed him and glanced at the bag that was full of clothes. "I brought you some of my clothes," he said awkwardly and scratched his nape. "I know they are going to be big, but I hope they would do until we go buy you some new."

Takao smiled softly, this time a real smile and let his head rest against the big pillows. Midorima felt relieved to realize that his complexion was slowly getting back to normal instead of that ugly shade of white.

"Thank you, Shin-chan," the dark haired boy said quietly and closed his eyes for a second. "You know… I don't really like hospitals."

Midorima fixed his glasses with his bandaged fingers and nodded.

"I know," he mumbled and a barely visible smile curved his lips. "They stink, right?"

Takao's eyes sparkled and he grinned a little.

"And the white color makes me feel like I am in a mental facility," the point guard admitted and both of them laughed quietly at this. The black haired boy pushed the covers aside and swung his legs from the edge of the bed. His head felt dizzy as he tried to get used to being up, but he managed to stay upright.

He looked at the shirt Midorima had brought him and then down at his broken arm. Damn it… he wasn't sure he could get dress with his right hand out of use. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Shin-chan?" Takao called him and Midorima looked up from the bag. The moment their eyes met, the black haired boy felt like he was a child. "I might need some help."

The green haired boy froze for a moment, wondering what to do. He felt kind of uncomfortable just thinking about dressing Takao but he couldn't just leave his friend deal with this problem alone.

"I will get one of the nurses to help you," he decided and headed for the door. Midorima had just reached out for the knob when a soft voice stopped him.

"No," Takao whispered, his eyes cast down. There was something in his tone that made Midorima shiver. "Please, I don't want any of them to touch me."

His fingers were shaking when Midorima withdrew his hand. It pained him to hear Takao admit just how strongly he was affected. And when the green haired boy turned around, he was left speechless at the sight of Takao's face. It was pale, too pale; his eyes were full of darkness and sadness. His usually smiling lips were now curved downwards.

"Okay," Midorima said gently and took the shirt from the chair. Then he walked closer to his friend and urged him back until Takao sat down on the bed. "Come on, let's get that ugly hospital gown off." Obediently, the black haired boy let his friend slip the gown off, revealing something that made Midorima's blood freeze.

He had seen Takao naked on more than one occasion in the past, so Midorima was aware of how pale and smooth the skin of his friend's body was, but what he saw as he pushed the cloth aside, had nothing to do with flawless flesh. Takao's chest was covered in pale purple circles, the bruise on his right shoulder made him wonder if it wasn't injured too badly. Midorima let his cold fingers touch the marred skin.

Takao inhaled sharply and flinched, but he forced himself to stay still as his friend inspected the old injuries.

"Does it hurt?" Midorima asked lowly as he finished, his voice was so cold and distant… Takao shook his head and removed completely the gown, leaving himself only in his boxers.

"It is almost completely healed, Shin-chan, so don't worry," he said softly and let the shooting guard slip on the blue shirt. Just as expected, it was too big on him, but Takao didn't care.

"Why?" the green haired boy asked as he was carefully buttoning up the shirt. It took almost all of his self control not to let his fingers shake. "Why didn't you tell me anything, Takao?"

The black haired boy fell silent, allowing to be dressed like a puppet.

"It's complicated," he finally said and looked down to the cast of his hand. "I guess I won't be able to play in the Winter Cup, eh?" it was almost funny how he cared more about this than he was interest in what was happening to his parents.

Midorima petted him on the head and stood up.

"Don't think about that right now. Just concentrate on getting better," God, Midorima wondered if he could get any softer than that. It was almost troubling. Quickly, Midorima made sure that Takao was properly dressed in a pair of his pants. "I will go get the doctor, you wait here. "

And with that he left the room, leaving his friend alone in the hospital room.

There was a long silence before the whispered words finally made their way out of Takao's mouth.

"I will tell you everything," he promised quietly. "Eventually."


	5. Chapter five: Shin-chan

Midorima groaned miserably when the phone on his bedside table started ringing again. He had managed to ignore the annoying buzzing the first five times but now it was becoming too much for his already thin patience. The green haired boy rolled over, untangling his nearly naked body from the sheets and narrowed his eyes, trying hard to focus his eyes on the cell phone. It was hard to miss, really. Especially when the screen was shining in the darkness. Midorima reached out and after several unsuccessful attempts of trying to grab it, he finally did it and hit the receive button blindly.

"What?" he barked, not really caring about who was on the other side of the call. It was two in the morning, he hadn't slept in a few days as he was too worried about Takao (not that he was about to admit it. Ever.) and all he desired now that his friend was peacefully sleeping in the next room, was to fall asleep for at least a week.

"Shintarou-kun?" asked a confused female voice and Midorima was suddenly wide awake. Okay, he knew that voice and something told him that nothing good was about to happen. "Were you sleeping?"

The green haired boy groaned and fell back on his bed, covering his aching eyes with his hand. He gently rubbed them as he tried to gather all of his patience.

"What else could I possibly do at two in the morning, Kana?"

He suppressed the impulse to turn off his phone.

"I don't know... we had a date and you didn't show up..."

Midorima slapped himself. He had forgotten about the arrangement they had made.

"Sorry," he muttered and closed his eyes. He was so damn tired. "I... had an emergency" he had to think fast. "Something happened and I had to stay at the hospital..." Midorima prayed that this was enough to satisfy the girl's curiosity. He was in no mood to explain anything about Takao to her.

For once, Kana seemed to understand the meaning of his words.

"I was really sad when you didn't come," she whined and Midorima seriously considered the option of hanging up. "You are going to make it up to me, right, Shintarou-kun?"

_Remind me again... why did I talk to her in the first place_?

A memory of Satsuki saying something about Takao and him being in a relationship crossed his mind and for a moment Midorima forgot everything about rationality. Who needed something so overrated?

"Okay, I am taking you out this Sunday," he said and pushed aside the feeling of guilt he couldn't possibly understand. He wasn't doing anything wrong, right?

A loud squeak made him move the phone away for a moment.

"Thank you, Shintarou-kun!" and the line went dead and he pressed the button. He had no patience left to deal with her.

Oh, Midorima had the feeling he had just gotten himself into something terrible.

* * *

Takao woke up, feeling scared as hell. His breathing was heavy, his vision was blurry and his skin was damp with sweat. He looked around like a scared rabbit, still hearing the echo of his own scream.

"It is just a night mare," he muttered and let his body fall back on the bed, still breathing hard and heavy. It was all just a dream. He wasn't with his farther. He wasn't at home... One look at the room he was in and Takao was sure that he had dreamt. He was in Midorima's guest room. Not at home.

Not at home.

Takao wanted to cry like a baby as the realisation sunk in. He was safe. Despite his throbbing head and aching arm, he was safe. He wasn't going back to that hell ever again. The boy shut his eyes tightly, trying to stop the tears from falling. Without realising it, Takao turned on his side and curls into a ball. A quiet sob escaped his lips and he choked.

Come on, don't cry.

He was aching to feel some warmth, to get rid of the coldness that made his limbs numb. Takao was even secretly hoping that Midorima would wake up from his earlier cry and come to spend the night by his bed like he did at the hospital. However, the time passed by and the dark haired boy was still alone. There was no sound of a door being opened, no sound of bare feet coming closer to his door. Nothing. Midorima wasn't coming.

This time Takao didn't try to hold back his sobs and tears. He lied on the foreign bed, curled into a small ball, too cold to move.

He was all alone.

* * *

Midorima felt his heart waver as he listened to the muffled sounds coming from the other side of the door. He hadn't fallen asleep after the call from Kana so he was fully awake when Takao woke up with a scream. Immediately, the green haired boy had rushed to his friend's room, but he had stopped in front of the slightly opened door.

He didn't manage to gather enough courage to enter as he watched his friend hug and cry himself to another restless sleep.

* * *

The morning came quickly. Too quickly, Takao decided as he slowly cracked his eyes opened and blinked a few times. His head hurt like hell after the tears from the night, his spine was aching from the sleep in a curled position, but the boy didn't seem to notice as he stood up on his shaky legs and headed for the bathroom.

Takao was feeling ill as he walked inside and slowly stripped off his clothes. He desperately needed a long warm shower. The water was turned on and the boy stepped under it, keeping his casted arm out of the way. He let the warmth wash over his body, damp his neck, shoulders, hair, face... and all of the time the only thing that was in his mind was coldness. It was like even the burning water felt chilly against his feverish skin.

Half an hour later Takao went downstairs for breakfast.

"Kazu-chan!" exclaimed Midorima's mother and she quickly pulled out a plate with two sandwiches from the fridge. She gestured to the big table.  
"Come on!" she urged him and placed the food in front of her new son. "I bet you are hungry," she said cheerfully and sat down on the other side. "I hope you slept well..."

It was her way of asking if Takao was fine and he understood it.

"Ah, don't worry about me," he said with a smile and forced himself to take a bite from his food. After all, he needed to feed. "Where is Shin-chan?"

The woman narrowed her eyes but tried to keep her cool face.

"He went to practice basketball for a while but he must come back any moment now,"

Feeling a little disappointed, Takao nodded and continued eating in silence. Midorima's mother watched him try to force himself to eat anything. But she saw right through his calm façade. Takao was breaking apart and she knew it. She also knew that there was only one person, who could possibly help.

Sadly, that day Midorima came home after everyone had gone to bed. Only Takao was still lying on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Oi, Takao," he called. "Go to bed, don't sleep here,"

The black haired boy slowly turned his head to the side and blinked a few times. The silence that followed was thick enough to be sliced with a knife.

"Shin-chan..."

Midorima swallowed hard. These words told him more that he wanted to know.

To be continued,...

* * *

**A/N: **

**Sorry for the late and crappy update, but I am really bussy right now. I hope everything would die down in a week since I might be done doing everything essential for this term by then. I really hope so, because I am already going insane. Hope you liked the chapter! It is just the beginning of something big, so be prepared!Thanks to everyone who is reading the story! I hope all of you enjoy it as much as enjoy writing it!  
**


	6. Chapter six: More than I expected

**Okay, here is the next chapter. Unlike what I expected, school is still as demanding as a few weeks ago (unfortunately). Still, I think I would be able to update again the following week. For now, read and enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter six: More than I expected**

Midorima walked slowly back home, not hurrying at all even though it had gotten dark a few hours ago. He felt a little guilty for running away like a pussy and not going back the whole day, but he couldn't possible handle looking at Takao right now. He felt like his world was slowly, but ever so certainly falling apart and coming back together again. In a way he wasn't sure he liked. He had come to care for, to be too affected by Takao. A part of him labelled himself a fool. The black haired boy needed him right now more than anything and Midorima knew it. But another part, one that was still clinging to the stupid excuse that he was getting too attached, was stronger. The green haired boy stopped in front of his house and looked up. He frowned and gripped the ball in his hands harder. Every room was dark except one. The living room still had it's lights turned on and Midorima was very much aware of who was waiting for him.

He gathered every part of his bravery and walked inside, shutting the door softly. He didn't turn on the lights. Instead, he bent down and left the ball on the floor before unzipping his sweatshirt and kicking off his shoes. Midorima inched closer to the living room, torn between going straight to his room and actually facing Takao instead of acting like a coward.

He was surprised to find his friend lying on the sofa only in a T-shirt and sweat pants. The green haired boy paused by the door and watched silently how Takao stared at the roof, his expression grim. He swallowed hard.

"Oi, Takao," he tried to get the other's attention and stepped inside the room. All of his stupid worries about turning into something like Kise or Aomine vanished away when he saw the pain on his friend's face. He was such a fool to leave Takao alone. "Go to bed, don't sleep here."

The other boy turned his head slowly to the side and Midorima was at a loss. He had never seen his friend look so miserable and vulnerable like in that moment. Those blue eyes stabbed him right into the heart with their intensity. Takao's usual cheerfulness, which he had managed to keep a little in the past few days, was completely gone now and he looked like he was about to fall apart. His eyes looked so sad. His facial features radiated his desperation.

"Shin-chan," he wasn't sure if it was a murmur or a pained whine, but at that moment Takao broke down.

Midorima rushed to the sofa at the moment he saw the first tears fall down. He pushed away every thought and just gathered Takao in his arms and pulled him close. He muttered stupid, incoherent words of comfort as he rocked the black haired boy like a baby.

"Sh," he whispered and stroked the soft back locks. He could already feel the tears dampen his neck, but he didn't care. How long had Takao kept all of his emotions chained down? How long had it been since the boy had slept without any nightmares? Midorima was afraid that the black circles under his team mate's eyes were enough to prove it had been too long. "Don't cry," his voice sounded so out of character, but everything seemed to be getting out the ordinary. On a usual day he would never see Takao cry. "Everything's fine now."

Takao gripped the front of his shirt tightly and bit his lip to silence the soft whimpers. His squeezed his eyes shut.

"I..."he tried, but the sobs cut out his words and Takao just pressed himself closer to Midorima, relishing in the way the green haired's body heat was warming him up. It felt so good after days; weeks spend alone in the cold darkness. His whole body shook and Midorima closed his eyes, feeling useless.

He wasn't sure what to say or do, how to act in order to calm his friend down. All he could come up with was hold him and let him cry until everything was taken out of his heart.

"It's okay, Takao," he muttered again and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy tighter. "It's okay."

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like this but at some point Takao finally managed to calm down. Little by little the sobs died down, but the trembling continued. Now the dark haired boy was sitting in his team mate's lap, snuggled against the warm body, his head resting on Midorima's shoulder and his eyes closed tiredly. His breathing was shallow and uneven.

The green haired boy rubbed Takao's back when it became clear that the shorter one was cold.

"Are you feeling better?" He whispered and pulled back slightly to take off his sweatshirt. "Here, put this on, you will warm up."

Takao nodded absentmindedly and allowed his friend to dress him. Then he returned to his previous position and curled into a ball in Midorima's lap.

"Takao," the green haired boy called and ran a hand through the other's hair. "You know you can talk to me."

The dark haired boy looked up with his bloodshot eyes and smiled sadly. He pulled the sweatshirt tighter around his body and closed his eyelids.

"She left me," Takao mutter at last and his smile wavered. "Mom left me after he came back."

Midorima was surprised to hear that. He knew that Takao had family issues and that his father was away, but he never knew that things could be so bad.

"Why did he come back?" The shooting guard asked and continued to caress the other's hair in comforting way. He was talking softly, urging his friend to go on.

Takao stared at the wall for a long while before he spoke up again in a quiet voice.

"I don't know..." he said at last and covered his eyes, afraid he would start crying again. "The day you went to America I got home and he was there. My mom was already packing her things then." Takao fell silent again, but this time he seemed to have better control over his emotions. "I couldn't do anything to stop her."

Midorima sensed the next wave of tears coming closer and he moved his fingers to Takao's forehead, hoping the touch would comfort him.

"You don't have to talk now if you don't want to," he reminded him and rubbed gently the temples, trying to ease the tension in his friend's body. "You must be tired."

Takao let his eyes closed again and sighed softly. He tipped his head back , trying to get closer to Midorima's fingers. It was strange how the simple touch made him feel better.

"He would get drunk almost every day," Takao whispered and fought to keep the unpleasant memories away. "And then he would take all of his anger out on me," he could still feel the pain in his body, where it was hit countless times.

Midorima tensed, the thought of Takao getting hit again and again was making him feel sick. Then the image of Takao in the hospital bed crossed his mind and Midorima swallowed hard, his fingers tightening slightly in the dark locks of his friend's hair.

"He is not here anymore," he green haired boy whispered and let his head rest against Takao's. "You have a new family now, Takao," he reminded him and brushed away the awkward feeling in his chest. Now wasn't the time to act like a pussy. "No one is going to cause you pain again."

Takao didn't say anything. He just let his eyelids slide down slowly and relaxed in Midorima's hands. He knew that he didn't have the right to feel calm and secure when Midorima was the one holding him. He knew that his friend would despise him if he ever found out just how much Takao had been yearning to be held like this. But now he couldn't really bring himself to care. All he could do was be egoistic.

_Sorry, Shin-chan… I guess I need you more that I expected_.


	7. Chapter seven: A Blind Man

Another chapter coming up, people! I am so gonna be late for school because of it, but whatever. I only hope my French teacher wouldn't be too angry with me. Thank you for reading this story! I see that there are followers from all over the world (USA, Finland, Indonesia, Iceland, Austria, Netherlands, Australia, Hungary, Portugal, Denmark, Argentina, Chile, Singapore, France, Germany, Canada, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Italy) and that makes me extremely happy! Read and enjoy this chapter as well!

Takao watched from the benches as the practice carried on. He had been observing quietly for almost two hours now and for the first time in his entire life, he didn't find enough strength to even want to play. It was his first day at school and although only his team mates knew the truth behind his absence, it was still tiring as hell to answer to the endless questions of his classmates'. And to make it worse, his broken arm made him stand out even more. Never in his life had Takao hated being popular until now.

The boy sighed as he watched Midorima break past two of the first years and quickly score from the half line like it was a childish play. He had always admired Shin-chan's way of playing. It was gracious, beautiful even. The way he would jump with almost no efforts and release the ball with perfect timing was mesmerizing. But what was truly captivating was the high arch of the ball. Takao had never seen something more beautiful. Every time the damn shoot would take his breath away.

"He truly is something, don't you agree?" Takao nearly jumped out of his skin as a familiar voice tore him away from his thoughts.

Startled, the boy turned his head around to see Kise standing right behind him with his hands shoved inside his pockets and a blinding smile on his face. That bastard really looked like a model.

Takao nodded and moved a little to make room on the bench for the blond.

"I never get tired of watching him," he admitted and returned his attention to the court.

Kise chuckled and sat down.

"I am happy to see that you are out of the hospital," the model said cheerfully and took out a box of chocolate candies. "Here, this if from Murasakibaracchi. He said that he hopes the candies would help you get better sooner."

Takao blinked in confusion. He had met the purple haired boy once but he had never expected to get a present from him. Not to mention that he had never expected the Generation of Miracles to know what was going on with him.

"Um… thanks, I guess…" he mumbled and took the box and placed it on his lap since his bag was in the locker room. "How did he know?"

Kise shrugged and leaned back, balancing his weight on his arms.

"I think Akashicchin told him," Kise frowned a little. "Though I am not sure how did he find out."

Takao nodded. He knew fully well that if the former captain of Teiko wanted to know something, he would find it out easily. Maybe he was working with the CIA.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

At that question, Kise's smile faded away instantly and his face became blank. His honey eyes darkened a little.

"I had a fight with Daiki and I thought I could get some of it out of my mind if I watch some basketball."

His voice told Takao enough to let him know that whatever the two boys were fighting about was serious. He had heard from Midorima that Kise and Aomine had gotten together but it still looked impossible to Takao. The Touou's ace was just… too Aomine. And Kise was so cheerful, bright.

"I hope everything between two of you will be okay," Takao said quietly and even smiled a little to cheer Kise up.

The model returned the small smile gently, appreciating the efforts.

"It will be," he said softly and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "I am sure of it," In a matter of seconds Kise's expression sobered up. "How about you and Midorimacchi? How are the things going between the two of you?"

Takao frowned a little and rubbed gently at his broken arm. His shoulder was now aching from the hours peaceful sleep in not so comfortable position. He could still feel the warmth of Midorima's body against his own as he slept curled up beside the green haired boy. Yet, Takao wasn't really sure how to label the relationship between the two of them. A normal friend wouldn't hold him the way Midorima did. The boyfriend case was out of question. Takao's face warmed up at the thought.

"Um…" he tried and scratched the back of his head. "I am not sure what you are asking about,"

God, he hoped Kise would take the hint.

The model grinned and leaned forward, his hot breath tickling Takao's neck and making him shiver.

"I am asking if the two of you are together now."

Takao gulped and shook his head violently, trying his best to keep cool.

"You misunderstood, Kise-san," he said calmly. "There is nothing going on between Shin-chan and I."

His heart ached at the thought of the girlfriend Midorima had. That Kana girl. The one he had been speaking to the whole morning. Takao had tried not to listen to the conversation, it was a private one after all, but it turned out to be impossible. Midorima was going on a date the following Sunday. And this made Takao feel sad. He wondered if Midorima remembered what day was the next Sunday.

Kise watched carefully as Takao's expression changed a few times. It reminded him of the times he felt insecure about the relationship between Aomine and him.

"Look at the court, Takaocchi," the model urged. Baffled, Takao followed the instructions and turned his attention to the game going on. "Tell me what you see."

At first all the point guard could see was a series of passes, some of them good, others were not ones he himself would make. Then he saw the extraordinary team play the third years were doing. But there was one thing that stood out more than anything else. Midorima. He wasn't making any of his fascinating shoots and yet there was something in the way he was moving. It was clear that he was better than the others. No one could go past him, steal the ball from his hands or even trick him.

"He is mesmerizing," Takao muttered without realizing it. He felt ashamed, his voice sounded embarrassingly fascinated.

Kise giggled and patted him on the shoulder.

"I feel the same way whenever I watch Daiki play," The model tapped his index finger to his lower lip and smiled. "He is so captivating that I have hard time looking away. Just like when we are in bed."

Takao choked and his eyes watered up while his face blushed. Okay, the last sentence wasn't necessary. Images, unwanted ones, popped up inside Takao's head. Pictures, involving Kise into Aomine's arms, almost naked…

_Too much._

Kise laughed shamelessly.

"I am not really sure that I want to know about you and Aomine-san," Takao said between a few desperate attempts to breathe properly. The model shook his head and ran his long fingers over his aching leg. He had overdone it during practice. Again.

"The point is that I see the way you two look at each other," Kise muttered, he was serious once again. It was strange to hear him talking like this instead of smiling widely and laughing. "He likes you and you like him."

Takao burst out laughing. His abdomen started hurting, his lungs didn't seem capable enough to gulp enough oxygen in as he was laughing.

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous this sounds, Kise-san?" Takao asked and wiped away the tears in his eyes. Little by little he started to calm down. "Shin-chan would never, ever harbour any feeling for another male. Ever."

Kise smirked and looked at him from the corners of his honey eyes.

"That were my exact thoughts when Kurokocchi told me I had feelings for Daiki." Well, he was a little bit more surprised than that but that was out of the topic. "In the end it turned out I am madly in love with him."

Takao reminded silent. He wasn't sure why he felt his chest tighten. Was it really possible that he was in love with Shin-chan?

The point guard looked down and his face darkened.

"There is no way Shin-chan could be in love with me."

It was a soft whisper but Kise heard him. The model frowned. Midorima was a blind man.

The practice was over after just three hours. Three long hours. God, Midorima felt like he was about to collapse as he swung the towel around his neck and drank half of the water in his bottle. His legs were trembling from the long practice, his lungs were desperate for some, any oxygen. His untapped fingertips were aching from the long time handling the ball. Not that Midorima was going to admit it. Ever.

"Midorimacchi!"

Okay, he was going back to practice if his other option was to face Kise. The green haired boy had just turned around and reached for the ball on the ground when he heard Takao's voice as well.

"Kise-san, be more quiet," the point guard hushed him. "The coach is going to get angry if you are too loud."

Midorima rubbed the towel over his sweaty hair and faced his team mate.

"I thought you are going back home," he said and dropped the cloth onto his bag to get his jacket on. The green haired boy narrowed his eyes when he saw Kise's grinning face. "And you… don't you have practice to attend or school?"

The model waved his hand, saying that Midorima was babbling nonsense again.

"You weren't answering your phone so I decided to come and see you personally." The blond grinned even more widely and shoved his hands inside his pants pockets. "That was a nice game!"

Takao trailed behind him, looking better than in the morning, but still too pale. Thankfully, the dark circles under his eyes were fading away little by little. There was even some sort of a smile on his face.

"Does Aomine know you are here?" Kise shook his head at the question and ignored Midorima's glare.

Takao observed everything, surprised that the model looked not at least affected by the other's attitude. It was like the blond knew Midorima was just putting up an act.

"Don't be so shy, Midorimacchi, I know you are happy to see me!" Kise tried to hug Midorima as a greeting but he was pushed away.

"Go die."

* * *

Midorima was walking towards the exit of the school, already changed in his clean clothes and showered properly. He felt much better when there was no sweat covering his tired body. Takao was following him silently, too carried away because of the conversation he had had with Kise.

The green haired boy looked at him curiously and slowed down a little so that the two of them would walk side by side.

"Did that idiot tell you something to upset you?" the shooting guard asked and looked ahead of them, not daring to meet his friend's eyes.

Takao shook slowly his head and smiled a little, burying his hands deeper inside of the warmth of his pockets. Why did his fingers feel so cold? Why was his body trembling so much?

"No, " he denied and lowered his head so that half of his face was

properly hidden behind his scarf. "Kise-san and I just talked about basketball, that's all."

It wasn't a lie. Midorima came hand in hand with basketball, so they had really talked about it. And besides, Kise hadn't upset Takao.

Midorima didn't believe him at all, but just when he was about to say something, he heard familiar voice.

"Shintarou-kun!" Hid blood froze when he recognized Kana, who was waiting for him by the school gate. No, he didn't want her to meet Takao for some reason.

The point guard clenched his fingers into fists but did his best not to show how uncomfortable he felt.

"Kana,' Midorima greeted simply and made no further effort to engage her into a conversation.

However, the girl had other plans.

"Let's go to the cinema!" she suggested, ignoring completely Takao. She hugged Shin-chan's arm and tried to drag him away.

Midorima frowned and pushed her carefully. "I can't," he said coolly and pried his hand away from her. "I have to accompany Takao back home."

It was a lie but it was the best he could think of right now. The girl pouted and crossed he arms in front of her impressive chest.

"But you dumped me the other night!" she whined like a child and it really got on Midorima's nerves. "You promised to make it up to me!"

Takao felt his control slip. He was a moment away from doing something extremely stupid like hitting a girl and he was not that kind of a boy. So he opted for the only possible solution at that moment.

"Go with her, Shin-chan," he said quietly and looked up to offer a fake smile.

_Please, say no and come home with me. _

Of course it wasn't okay to leave him alone, but Takao knew he had no right to pry in his friend's love life.

Midorima looked at him with uncertainty. Kana grinned widely.

"You heard him, Shintarou-kun!" she exclaimed and wrapped her arms around Midorima, who cringed at the touch. God, it felt so wrong to be touched by her and yet he didn't seem able to find words to push her away.

The green haired boy observed his team mate carefully.

"Are you sure?" he asked and Takao nodded.

"Yeah, go," he urged, feeling his eyes start to sting. "I will be fine on my own."

_No, I wouldn't. Don't go._

And just like that Midorima dn Kana were gone, leaving Takao alone in front of the school gate. Midorima looked back as his girlfriend dragged him, trying to see the expression on his friend's face, but Takao's face was out of his sight. So he didn't see the two small tears sliding down his face. Or the expression Takao was wearing.

The point guard lowered his head once again to hide his face in the warm scarf. He gathered his strength and slowly walked to his new home.

When he reached his room half an hour later, Takao dropped down his back and shrugged off his jacket before he fell on the bed, his face buried into the soft pillows.

Why did he feel so cold and alone again?

* * *

The end. Of this chapter of course. Hm… I am thinking of writing some smut in the next chapter. Or in the one after that. I'm not sure yet since the original story I had in mind has changed slightly. Now I am not sure what is following or how this would end…. I hope you enjoyed it! Be prepared for the next update. Maybe I will post the new chapter this week if I have time!


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